Interview with Lisa Kolosek

The evening after Thanksgiving, I sat down with Lisa Schlankster Kolosek, an art historian, a writer, and the mother of Ella Kolosek ’17. I had heard about her occupation as a writer, and was actually staying at her house over Thanksgiving, so naturally I was interested in meeting her as someone who could relate to my signature project.

After giving me permission to interview her, Lisa came in to the room casually as I frantically looked for my list of questions for her.

“Do you mind if I record you just in case I miss something?” I tried to make my voice sound as low as I normally do, afraid to reveal how nervous I was. It was my first interview.

“Sure, go ahead,” she said, giving me a reassuring smile.

Through this interview, I learned that, in addition to her passion for art, Lisa loves to write. During her years at graduate school, she wrote a thesis based on a series of photographs at the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum. After earning a Masters Degree in History of Design and Curatorial Studies, she went on to write an article about someone’s architect father, and eventually published a book for the museum based on the very same photographs she used in her thesis. “A lot of opportunities just came along,” she said, remembering her past works.

When asked how she deals with writer’s block, Lisa gave me a really good suggestion, “I start just typing everything I know, and then fill in things, move it around, and eventually, I’ll create sentences and ideas will form.” She also emphasized on the importance of movement. “It’s critical that you exercise,” she said.

I looked over at my notes, and asked her my final question, "What advice would you give to an aspiring writer?" This was the question the writer in me was most curious about.

She thought about it for a second, and then told me to read a lot, and to think about language a lot (“Write words down. Always have a vehicle that you can make notes with.”). Afterwards, she asked me if I wanted to be a writer. I nodded yes.

“Well be confident that your writing is as good as anyone else’s,” she said, “And don’t let people think you can’t be a writer because you can.”